The Lost Prophecy
by Bridget Wenlock
Summary: When Lily and James get pregnant, they find out news that will change their lives forever.
1. Prologue

"Hullo, love. How's he doing?" James Potter asked his wife as she walked into the sitting room of Grimmauld Place holding the crying figure of her little son, Harry, in a red blanket in her arms. He was balanced on her hip, leaning against her chest just under her shoulders. His eyes were rimmed red and brimmed with tears, and his shoulders were hunched over and occasionally moving up and down when he sniffled. You could make out a soft tuft of unruly black hair peaking out from under the blanket.

"He's still burning up. I don't think the fever's going anywhere for a while. Ouch!" Lily Potter yelped as Harry grabbed a lock of her red hair and pulled it towards him, entwining his fingers around it. Hearing his mother's sudden voice, he stopped crying and hiccupped loudly, his toothless smile gazing up at his mother fondly.

"Hear, let me take him," James said as he held out his arms, laughing as Lily massaged the roots of her hair. Harry was still clutching five long strands of deep red hair in his tiny fist, hiccupping at five second intervals as James balanced Harry on his legs. James took a Golden Snitch out of his pocket, and started throwing it up in the air and catching it while Harry cooed from pleasure. His bright green eyes were as big as tennis balls as he watched the snitch flutter away, only to see his father's hand reach out and grab it back again. James could see the gold reflection from the snitch in his son's eyes.

Lily gazed at her husband and son lovingly. James was lying down on the sofa with his knees pulled up against him, and Harry was leaning up against them. She laughed out loud when she saw Harry reach out a pudgy hand towards the snitch, only to see him catch it and hold it tight in his fist. He looked over at her with a mischievous grin that reached from ear-to-ear, as if waiting for her approval that he was oh-so-clever. _Merlin_, Lily thought to herself, _whenever he smiles that I could swear it was a miniature of James_.

"Where's Sirius? Is Remus coming over tonight?" Lily smirked as she mentioned two of James' friends. Ever since they moved out of Hogwarts, James and Lily had been living in Sirius' family's old house, Grimmauld Place, which now belonged fully to Sirius.

"Padfoot's upstairs. Moony said he'll try to come over for a little while…" He smiled at her. "I love you."

"I love you too, darling." She said, gazing at him with a faraway look in her eyes. He noticed her distant gaze.

"What's wrong?" He asked somberly. It took her a moment to answer.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?" James asked curiously.

"You know what I'm thinking of," she said, her gaze lingering over at her son.

"Everything's going to be fine," He said calmly, but the look in his eyes told Lily what he was really thinking.


	2. The Attack

Lily Potter stood in front of the mirror, watching herself as she slowly picked up her shirt to reveal her stomach. She pressed a hand to it, wondering. She looked over to the bathroom shelf, where a Muggle pregnancy test box sat. She was waiting for the results to show, and Merlin, it was taking a long time. The pamphlet inside said it would take two minutes, although it seemed like a million. She took the test at 3 o'clock, and it was now 3:02. Surely, it was ready now…

Lily had chosen this day to do the test because she knew James would be with Sirius, Remus, and Peter today. James said they were going to go Diagon Alley to look at the new brooms that had come in, but Lily guessed that they were probably going to stop in on the Leaky Cauldron to have some Firewhiskey. They did seem awfully sneaky as they walked out, giggling to themselves…

Eventually, the small kitchen timer she took with her into the bathroom beeped. Two minutes had passed. Lily slowly walked over to the shelf, where the wand sat in a small plastic cup. She slowly picked up the wand, and gazed at the small plastic screen. She already had a feeling as to what it was going to show.

An hour later, after taking a shower and getting dressed, she went to the sitting room. It was four o'clock- James said he would be back at five. Lily sat on the sofa, wondering how she would tell James what she had discovered in the bathroom that morning. She couldn't help but feel, in a way, disappointed. They were both at the heights of their careers, top Aurors of their class, part of the inner circle of the Order, and valuable tools to the wizarding community. She didn't have time to have a child, especially considering the dangerous circumstances she and James were in. For Merlin's sake, they were in the center of the plot for Voldemort's downfall- she couldn't bring a child up in that sort of community, where wizards and Muggles were dying by the dozen every day. Everyday, she and James spied on Death Eaters, studied Voldemort's whereabouts, and sent his followers to Azkaban, watching their friends die…

Lily was dumbfounded as to how she was able to actually conceive; she and James had used the Protection spell, they had taken all the necessary precautions…what had gone wrong? Immediately after thinking this, she felt bad. Deep down, she _did_ want to have a child, more than one; she was just afraid. If something happened to James, at least she would be able to have a piece of him with her forever.

Suddenly there was a _pop!_ And Lily found herself staring at James' face, which was ashen and pale.

"James, what's wrong? Where are-," she started, but James cut her off.

"We have to see Dumbledore," he said bluntly, grabbing her arm and cloak.

"What happened?" She demanded, frightened.

"There was an attack on Diagon Alley," He started, slowly, as he began searching for the necessities- invisibility cloak, wands, Time turner…" Death Eaters swarmed all over the place…" He dragged her back and forth around the house, grabbing anything and everything he thought he needed.

"What were they looking for?" she asked, staring at him as his features suddenly changed from hurry to fright. "James? What is it?"

He didn't say anything for a while, until…

"They were looking for us," He said slowly, not looking at her.

"Why?" She questioned.

"Something happened." He looked up at her, and their gazes met. Within thirty seconds, they disapparated and were miles away from Godric's Hollow.


	3. A Prophecy

James and Lily Potter apparated to Hogwarts, and found that Hagrid was already waiting inside the gate, ready to let them come in. Lily guessed that Dumbledore was expecting them. As Lily looked at Hagrid, she saw a fat tear roll down Hagrid's cheek. Before she could ask why he was upset, James had taken off at a sprint towards the castle, pulling her with him.

The heavy oak doors slammed as James and Lily entered the castle. James was still running towards the direction of the Headmaster's office, and Lily followed, confused. James muttered the password (" Lemon drop") and the stone gargoyle sprang aside as the couple ran up the stone, circular staircase, James taking the steps two at a time. For the life of her Lily couldn't even begin to guess what was going on. What had happened that had her husband so spooked?"

James burst into Dumbledore's office without knocking. Dumbledore was standing by the window, gazing out at the hills surrounding the castle.

"Sir," James said, "What happened?" Dumbledore turned around, and Lily could see that his usually merry blue eyes were now dark with seriousness.

"Hello, James, Lily. Please have a lemon drop and sit down." He said somberly. Lily was exhausted after running up the hill towards the castle, and plopped down into one of the velvet chairs opposite the Headmaster's desk, although James continued standing.

"Sir, after the Death Eaters apparated, I heard Dolohov shouting to the others to find Lily and me. What could have possibly happened to make them focus on us? I mean, there were other Order members there as well-," Dumbledore cut him short.

"Lily, what happened to you at three o'clock this afternoon?" Dumbledore said briefly. _Oh for the love of Merlin,_ she though silently_, how did Dumbledore find out about my piece of news? I haven't even told James yet_…

"Er…," Lily started, unable to find the words. "I was at home, preparing some dinner for when James would get back from Diagon Alley."

Dumbledore stared at her, his bright blue eyes piercing her equally as bright green ones. He was silent for another moment before he spoke.

"Lily, are you pregnant?" he said bluntly. James' jaw dropped as he stared at the Headmaster.

"Er-," she began, but James cut her off.

"She's not pregnant! And what could that possibly have to do with the attack?" He asked. Dumbledore stood up from his chair roughly.

"It had everything to do with today's attack, James! Today I was interviewing Sybill Trelawney, the great-granddaughter of the celebrated Seer Cassandra Trelawney at the Hog's Had Inn at three o'clock this afternoon. I was trying to fill the post of Divination teacher. Quite frankly, she seemed to be a fraud, and I sent her on her way. However, on her way out, she stopped and gave me some dreadful news. Sybill Trelawney was able to make one true prediction, and a startling one at that."

Dumbledore stopped for a moment to gaze at them sadly. His stare gave Lily chills that ran up and down her spine.

"Professor…what is it?" James asked tentatively.

"Tell us," Lily whispered softly, in a scared voice. She could almost see Dumbledore's once-merry blue eyes begin to wet.

"This piece of news I can only_ show _you." Dumbledore slowly walked over to a tall cabinet on the side of his office. He opened it, and Lily saw him take out his stone Pensieve. He tapped it with his wand, and beckoned them over.

"I am going to bring us back to this morning at 3 o'clock, to my meeting with Sybill Trelawney."

Because there were so many people present in the room, a small picture floated on the surface of the Pensieve. The three gazed into the Pensieve, listening attentively.

They were in a small, dusty room that Lily understood as the Hog's Head Inn. A small woman with a bright blue shawl over her head and half moon glasses glared at the headmaster, who was sitting serenely at a desk that was scattered with papers. Suddenly, before she could take a step outside the doorway, the woman froze. She started to shake menacingly, muttering to herself. Her muttering became louder and louder, until it was a hoarse shriek.

"Sybill?" The Headmaster stepped out from the back of his desk, his hand reaching out to the strange woman nervously. "Are you all right?"

The woman gasped a deep breath, widened her eyes, and spoke in a hoarse monotone:

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

She continued to repeat this prophetic warning, repeating it over and over in the deep, throaty monotone. However, halfway into the message, Dumbledore strode out from behind his desk, and while continuing to listen intently to the woman, pulled open the door. There, crouched like a small child was Severus Snape, his hand cupped next to the heavy oak door.

"Severus-," Dumbledore started, his eyes blazing menacingly, "Not a word."

The man, however, stood up straight, and backed away slowly, his eyes wide with surprise and fear. He backed away until he reached the staircase, then turned on his heel and glided down rapidly, his black cloak swishing behind him.

Lily watched the memory, wanting more when she saw it slowly begin to dissolve. She stood there inanimately, staring hard at the stone basin until James led her back to her chair. She wasn't even aware of her body trembling rapidly, and even James' hands shook.

Dumbledore was talking rapidly.

"As you must have already pondered, this prophecy predicted by Sybill Trelawney applies to four people and their sons, two of which are, unfortunately, yourselves. The other two are Frank and Alice Longbottom."

"Sir," James interrupted, "Lily isn't pregnant, and this can't mean us. Lily? Are you all right?" James turned towards his wife, who was staring at Dumbledore. She was shaking violently, on the verge of a breakdown if she wasn't experiencing one already.

"I'm pregnant, James. I found out at three o'clock today." After she said this, Lily fell out of her chair, hitting her head on the oak floorboards, and drifted into darkness.


	4. The Planning

"How could you not have told me sooner that you were pregnant?" James asked bluntly later that night, as he and Lily were getting into bed.

"James, you were gone when I found out! Then, we you got home, you were acting like a madman; it wasn't the time to bring up news like that!"

James, who was pulling back the covers on the bed, threw one of the pillows he was holding on the floor out of anger.

"You know what, Lily? Sometimes I can't stand you!" He hissed.

"Well you know what, Potter, sometimes I can't stand you!" She shouted loudly. They stared at each other for a few moments before James broke the silence.

"Anyway, it can't be us," He muttered quietly. He was still as pale as he was that afternoon when he barged into the house after his visit to Diagon Alley.

"James, stop making it even worse than it is," Lily said icily, "There is not a doubt in my mind that it is us."

"How would you know that?" He asked in a huff.

"Because, you git, it all fits!" She shouted at him, "We're top members of the Order, for Merlin's sake! We've gone after him and escaped him three times! I'm not sure when I'm due, but knowing our luck, it will be July! It is us, just admit it!"

"Why do you always have to assume the worst? Why can't you just tell yourself that it's Alice and Frank, and that we have no part in it? Why-,"

"BECAUSE, DAMN IT, I'M SCARED, YOU PRAT! I'M BLOODY SCARED OUT OF MY WITS!" She bellowed, and then broke down completely. She slowly sunk to the floor and crouched in a fetal position, pulling her knees to her chest and laying her head in between them. Her sobs racked though her body, and her back moved up and down with her hard, labored breathing. James jumped over the bed, crouched next to her, and wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face in her hair, not noticing the tears that slowly rolled off his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, love, I'm sorry. We're going to get through this, no worries," He said softly. She looked up at his slowly, tears streaming down her face,

"How do you know?" She whispered.

"I don't, but we have to get through it. He needs us," He whispered just as quietly. He placed one strong hand, weather beaten and tough from Quidditch, on her stomach. She slowly placed her small, pale hand on top of his. He could feel small bruises and bumps forming from holding her thin wooden wand in her fingers so many times. However, it was soft and, despite its paleness, warm.


	5. Wait and See

The Longbottoms and Potters sat in the Headmaster's office two days later, the two women holding hands in silence, listening to the older man's words.

"Being very important members to the Order, you all must understand that you have our complete support. We are behind you all one hundred percent." Dumbledore smiled warmly.

"However, there are many things we need to discuss. First, I will explain why this prophecy applies directly to you. I know the four of you have gone up against Lord Voldemort and have managed to escape without death a total of three, magnificent, unique times." Again, he smiled sadly.

"It is most likely that you two have been carrying for at least a month already before you started to notice anything…peculiar," He said, his eyes bright as he addressed Lily and Alice. "I believe that you most likely conceived late October or early November, as it is now December, eight months away from July. And-,"

"Er, sorry Professor, but Lily could only have been carrying for a few days, a week or so at most," James blushed sheepishly, "We've used protection up until….er, we forgot." Lily smirked to herself, laughing inwardly at her husband's embarrassment. Dumbledore, however, was completely serious.

"Please continue," Dumbledore said sternly, although Lily guessed her husband was finished already.

"Erm, well, Lily went to Madam Pomfrey for an exam yesterday, just to make sure, and she said Lily only conceived four days ago, two days before the attack. Lily's due in mid-August."

Alice Longbottom shifted nervously in her seat, her hand caressing her stomach. Dumbledore was watching Lily intently with a hot gaze, so intense Lily looked away towards the window.

"Well," Dumbledore said, "These things can't really be timed. We just have to wait and see." Lily could see a flicker of pity take over Dumbledore's eyes for a moment, but he quickly forced it away before the others could see it.

"Now," the headmaster started, "There is much to plan. First and foremost, you must go into hiding immediately. Meaning, no more work for the Order or Auror Office. No, James!" Dumbledore gave James Potter a stern look after seeing his mouth open in protest, "There is absolutely no possible way that you will be able to help the Order stop Voldemort from finding you and your wife before the birth of your child if you are in the middle of a battle with him on account of Order duties." James slumped his shoulders in defeat. Lily's heart went out to him- she knew he had dreams of becoming an Auror ever since he was young, and now that he was an Auror, he wanted to make the most of it. She, too, felt that this was going to be a successful year for the Order, and she wanted to be smack-dab in the center of the plans, fighting and saving. Now, she would be the one in need of saving, her and her child.

"Unfortunately, I am afraid that the chances of Voldemort hearing of this prophecy very high; halfway through Sybill Trelawney's prediction, I caught Severus Snape outside the door spying. He only heard the beginning of the prophecy, which is our advantage. The most significant is the end portion, and as long as we can prevent Voldemort from hearing about it, the better. I'm not so sure that Voldemort is going to be extremely happy when he hears that his downfall might be near."

"Where will we hide?" Alice Longbottom asked softly. Lily could see that she was using all of her willpower to keep her composure. Frank seemed just as disturbed as his wife, but he also seemed angry as well. Lily was sure that he had the same feelings as James.

"In separate locations from the Potters, of course. I have arranged for James and Lily to move out of Grimmauld Place and into Godric's Hollow, a Muggle street. I have arranged for you and Frank to go to a Muggle flat in Oxford. That way, you will both be close enough to each other for convenience, yet far enough away to prevent a double attack. You will both be protected by the Fidelius Charm, and you will each have to choose a Secret Keeper. I advise you to both choose someone who the Death Eaters will not expect, someone who you are very close to, whom you trust very much, because your survival is dependent on that person and that person only." Dumbledore looked at each couple sadly, as if he wished he were not the one to have to tell them what their grim future laid in store. He was specifically fond of these people especially- they were students under him, and his favorites at that. He wish it could be anyone but them, yet Dumbledore assumed this burden fell on them because they were the only ones who would be able to handle it.


	6. The Secret Keeper

Lily and James apparated to the front of Grimmauld Place that night, and the Muggle street was eerily dark and quiet. They closed their eyes, thought of the address, and then walked through the door.

"Padfoot, it's just us," James called out. He threw his cloak onto the sofa, and flung his shoes against the wall. Lily hung her coat in the closet, and placed her shoes nicely on the mat. James called Sirius' name again.

"Where is he?" He turned to Lily.

"Dunno. Let's just go to sleep- I've had a rough day," she said, rubbing her eyelids.

"No…something's up," He said, bounding off into the other room. Lily saw him retrieve his mirror from the bureau, give it a shake, then speak into it.

"Sirius, where are you?" James said into the mirror. It started to fog, then Lily heard Sirius's deep voice.

"Come upstairs, James. We have to talk."

James glanced quickly at Lily, and then bounded up the stairs, taking two at a time. She could hear her husband softly calling out his friend's name.

By the time she made her way upstairs, she walked into James' room and saw the two men bellowing at each other.

"WE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE, DUMBLEDORE IS FORCING US!" James bellowed.

"I'M YOUR BLOODY BEST FRIEND, I CAN DO SOMETHING! I CAN-,"

"There was nothing you can do, Sirius," Lily replied softly. Both men turned toward her abruptly, both of their faces an equal shade of red.

"Lily-," James started, and reached a hand towards his wife.

"No, James, " She turned towards Sirius, "We have to leave, Dumbledore's orders. He said that if we don't go freely, he'll have us forced there and locked in."

"He can't do that," Sirius mumbled to himself.

"I'm pretty sure that if he wants to, he will," James said in a huff. Both men stared at each other for a moment.

"If we're going to get through this, we need to stick together," Lily said slowly, making sure both men comprehended her words very carefully. She placed a hand on her stomach, "We have to get through this."

James looked at Sirius for one more moment, before reaching out a hand in peace. Sirius stared at it, and then pulled James into a bear hug. James buried his head into his friend's shoulder. They pulled apart, both looking at Lily as to questioning what to do next.

"Well," Sirius started, "When do you go?" He said sadly. Lily knew he was going to be lonely here all alone; it would be his first time because the Potters had moved in with him at the end of school, directly after the wedding. _Perhaps Remus or Peter would come stay with him for a bit, _Lily thought_, just to keep him company… _

_"_Oh! I forgot: we need to pick a Secret Keeper for the Fidelius Charm," Lily said.

"I'll do it," Sirius said at once, always loyal to his friend.

"Yeah, he'll do it," James said.

"Er," Lily started, feeling awkward," I don't know if that's such a good idea."

James and Sirius stared at her.

"Why the hell not?" James asked icily.

"Do you not trust me, Lily?" Sirius said, his eyes laughing, "Because you know I love you!"

"It's not that," she said," It's just that Voldemort and all of them know how close you are to us, Sirius. They'll be expecting you to be out Keeper."

"What's the problem? It's not like I'll give in to them," Sirius said his eyes portraying his loyalty, "I'd never do that."

"Sirius, it's just that Voldemort's very powerful, and there are ways of getting information without your loyalty being faulty," Lily said, her eyes downcast. She turned towards James. "I think we should choose someone whom we trust, but who they don't expect."

"Like who, your sister?" James said sarcastically. "Like she'd even want to help," He muttered under his breath.

"Yes, actually, I was thinking of Petunia," Lily said, staring at James, her eyes blazing. They'd never understand why I chose a Muggle."

"No," James said automatically.

"She's my sister, James-," Lily started.

"I'm not going to trust Petunia Dursley with my life! Why don't we choose Moony or Wormtail? I trust them, and you like them well enough" James said to her.

"Fine. Which one?" Lily said tersely.

"Er," He turned to Sirius for help, who only shrugged. "Moony?"

"What happens at the full moon? There wouldn't be a chance the Death Eaters could get it out of him when he was transformed, could they?" Lily asked.

"Fine then, we'll choose Wormtail."

"We have to ask him first," Lily reminded him.

"I'll go ask him now," James said, about to send a Patronus.

"Wait!" Lily stopped him. He tuned to look at her. "What are you doing?"

"Sending him a message," He looked at her as though she was stupid.

"Don't do that! Anyone could intercept that. Ask him to come here," Lily said, sighing. She just wanted all of this to be over with…

Peter Pettigrew was there within minutes.

"Padfoot, Prongs, Lily," He said, nodding to them, "What's wrong?"

"Wormtail,' James started, "Did Dumbledore talk to you?"

"About what?" Wormtail asked, "Is everything alright?"

James turned to Lily.

"Lock the door," He said quietly. She locked it, and cast a Silencing charm on the outside so they couldn't be overheard.

"We're in trouble, Peter," James started, "and we need your help."

Peter, noticing the grave look on his friend's face, nodded for him to continue. James recounted everything to him that Dumbledore had told them. As the story went on, Lily could see Peter's eyes becoming bigger and bigger with every word. When James finished, Wormtail could hardly speak.

"So, Wormtail," James said, and Lily could tell he was using every bit of willpower he could muster to not break down. "Will you help us out?"

"Of course, James," Peter said softly. "Of course."


	7. Welcome Home

After a long and depressing goodbye with Sirius, the Potters had moved out of Grimmauld Place for good. Some of the couple's fellow Aurors had helped them move most of their things to Godric's Hollow. Lily was now a month pregnant, and even though she wasn't drowsy or needed assistance, James was determined that she would not stand unless absolutely necessary. She had started to have some morning sickness, but with some encouragement from Alice Longbottom, who was almost finished with that stage, she tried to keep a cheerful attitude. She hadn't been to Godric's Hollow before, and today was the day when they would permanently move in. _We go into hiding today_, Lily thought drearily to herself, coming out of the bathroom after a particularly bad bout of morning sickness.

It was dark, and even though she knew there were Aurors placed at every angle of the street, surrounding the house, Lily felt uneasy. The house was dark, and as James guided Lily through the low gate surrounding the yard, she tried to take in her surroundings as clearly as possible. It was a three story Muggle house, the top floor a small, slanted attic with a small window. It was a light stone, and had the same number of windows as every other house on the street. There were two large birth trees close to the edge of the yard, and a low hedge running the length of the house. The moon shone onto the ground, an eerie reflection on the windows and the side of her face. She heard an owl hoot, looking for prey, and she hurried inside.

They walked through the front door, and into what looked like a small, square waiting room. She could see a hallway that continued throughout the house, with doors Lily guessed must be bedrooms, ending with a single, closed door. There was a dusty, scarlet sofa, a large armchair that was covered with a white sheet, but in the place where the sheet ended Lily could see the chair was bottle green. There was a small, woven rug, and although it was still dark in the room, as James was too busy looking at his surroundings to turn on the light, she could tell the walls were a light yellow.

She reached over on the wall and flicked on the light. The room was even dustier than she wad expected. She saw a spider creep across the floor, and a shiver ran up her spine.

_Well, _she though bitterly, _welcome home_.

James dropped the suitcases he was balancing in his arms on the landing. He let out a breath, and surveryed the surroundings more. He reached up, and scratched his head, a pained expression on his face.

"It's not that bad, "Lily offered, trying to brighten things up. James just stared at her ," I'm sure it will be better in the morning."

James shook his head.

" It was better at Grimmauld Place, and at least there we could do magic," he said bitterly. "Come on, let's just go to sleep."

They trudged up the stairs, and after an hour of Lily standing on a desk, watching James chase after a mouse out of his nest, they were able to go to sleep in a house that felt like it had not been occupated in centuries.


	8. Wolf, Rat, and Dog

"Well, I'm just glad that with the strain you're under, you've made it to fifteen weeks," Madam Pomfrey said matter-of-factly. Lily was lying on her bed as Madam Pomfrey stood up from the stool at the foot of the mattress after finishing the check-up. Lily leaned down and pulled her corduroys back up around her waist, lifting her hips off the mattress to pull them up.

"I've had a lot on my mind," Lily agreed, struggling to sit up.

"No, no, you stay and rest. I'll go and make a cup of tea, and I'll be right back."

"Thank you," Lily answered wearily, glad to get a chance to breath. She had made herself busy for the last three months of living in Godric's Hollow by fixing up the house. Painting all of the walls- deep red for their bedroom to resemble the Gryffindor common room, blue for the bathroom, which is how it was at her home growing up, and a brilliant orange for the office, at James' request.

"But, Lily, I promise you that the Cannons will do better this year! All their players were injured, they had a disadvantage-," James has insisted, a child-like desire etched upon his slim face.

"The only disadvantage they have is not knowing a bloody thing about Quidditch," she had muttered under her breath.

Her waistline had suddenly expanded overnight, and in her mind she resembled her old Potions teacher, Horace Slughorn, minus the moustache. James was ever more protective of her, not allowing her to walk for more than five yards before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to her destination. For a week he had refused to let Lily cook but only after burning a sink full of water had he given up the idea, building Lily a tall chair to sit upon instead.

A hard kick from inside her brought her back to the present day. The baby was active, to say the least. James had professed that he would be the greatest Quidditch player in the world because of all the kicking he was doing, but continued to massage her belly and bring her Muggle heating pads to help.

Despite all of his helpfulness, there was a noticeable change in James after they went into hiding. He had never been isolated from his friends for this long a period of time in nearly nine years, and Lily could tell that he was grieving. Unable to work for the Aurors on duty, he was forced to sit in his office filing paperwork, the only safe thing he was allowed to do. There were many times where Lily was sure he would leave, walk out on the hiding, and her, but he never did. When he was upset he would lie down in bed next to Lily, putting his ear up next to her belly and listening to the heartbeat of their baby.

On the day of his birthday she had invited Sirius, Remus, and Peter over for cake and ice cream, and James' mood was particularly bright all that day. The three friends arrived at dusk, apparating just outside the door. Lily knew that they were taking a risk by coming here, but she knew that they knew how much their presence meant to James, especially now. She quickly walked towards the door when she heard one of them scratching on it softly, their message.

"Who is it?" She whispered, the necessary precaution.

"Moony, Wormtail, and Padfoot," She heard the soft, scratchy voice of Remus Lupin.

"What forms do you take at the moon?" she asked, already knowing that they would answer correctly.

"Wolf, rat, and dog," He answered back quietly, and Lily could hear their feet shuffling in the cold- it was already late March, and still snowing. "What form does your Patronus take?"

"A doe," She answered back quickly, and she wrenched the door open. The three of them walked in, their heads down and their pace quick. When she had bolted the door behind them, she breathed a loud sigh.

"I'm so glad you all came," She said, hugging each of them in turn. Sirius had stooped down to pat her belly, and she smiled softly. "James should be down any min-,"

But a loud sound from upstairs broke off her voice. James had come barreling down the staircase, jumping down the last four stairs and, with a shout of delight that greatly resembled a child's voice at Christmas, he threw his arms around his friends. Laughing, they all set off towards the kitchen, James calling back to Lily "Is the food ready?". She smiled softly, her mood lightening at her husband's happiness, and she followed the group into the kitchen.


	9. Not Just Us

They were all sitting at the table, chatting animatedly at the same time- Lily wondered how on earth they could hear each other.

"How're you feeling, Lily?" Remus asked, remembering his pregnant friend.

"I'm doing okay, thanks. How are you?"

"Well, you know-," He shrugged, and she smiled sympathetically. Sirius laughed and clapped Remus on the shoulder.

"Still looks like a mad rabbit with a disease every moon, but we've gotten used to it," He said loudly, laughing.

"Shut up," Remus said softly, trying to stop his lip from curling into a laugh.

"I'm surprised Dumbledore doesn't have Aurors stationed in your living room, James," Peter piped up, leaning back in his chair.

"I was surprised at that, myself," James muttered, obviously not in favor of how the conversation was turning. "He's so damn protective-,"

"James!" Lily called from the corner of the kitchen, where she was placing nineteen candles on a seven-tiered cake. "He just cares about us…"

"What does he think, we're going to go out on the streets and start telling people where we live? We're not stupid, and he knows Peter's our keeper. "He turned to face his friends. "Dumbledore just makes a fuss out of everything."

"James, just last year-,"

"Just last year I was a student, Lily, and if I started bloody cursing Dumbledore out during class, what do you think would have happened?"

"Lily, that's a very beautiful cake you've made," Remus butted in, trying desperately to change the subject., but his friends were not to be distracted. James seemed to have forgotten his cheery mood from earlier, and his attention was only focused on Lily.

"Stop it, James," Lily snapped, stabbing the cake with an orange candle with much unneeded force.

"Just admit that you think he's being unreasonable," James challenged, and Lily felt Sirius' hot stare on her flesh. "I _know_ that you agree with me-,"

"You know what, James?" She flung the last handful of candles to the ground. "I don't think he's being unreasonable. I would much rather be stuck here and know that we're safe."

"Peter, why don't you go help Lily with the candles…" Remus tried again to stop them, but they were having none of it.

"We would be fine out there! There's no one out to get _us_!"

"THEY"RE AFTER OUR BABY, DAMMIT!" Lily shouted, clutching her stomach protectively. "WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NOT JUST US ANYMORE, JAMES? WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY, AND THEY WANT TO KILL IT!"

Her voice was hoarse, and she was unsure if any of them had been able to understand her when she shouted because of it. She was becoming hysterical, all of the emotions from the past three months coming undone, breaking through the wall she had built up so well for so long. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop soon.

"WE WOULDN'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO THE BABY!" James shouted back just as hysterically, not standing up to face Lily at eye level. He pushed back his chair, and ignored Sirius's hand trying t pull him back into his seat.

"YOU UNDERESTIMATE THEM, JAMES! JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU'RE SO BLOODY TALENTED AT EVERYTHING-"

"I'M AN AUROR!" He bellowed back. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF ANY DEATH EATERS-"

"IT'S NOT JUST THE DAMN DEATH EATERS ANYMORE, JAMES! VOLDEMORT IS _AFTER_ US-,"

"IF I CAN TAKE DEATH EATERS, WHY CAN'T I TAKE VOLDEMORT AGAIN? AFTER ALL, ACCORDING TO DUMBLEDORE, HAVEN'T I ALREADY DEFIED HIM THREE BLOODY DAMN TIMES?"

"You disgust me," Lily hissed, her voice dropping to an unusually low octave. At the sudden change of pitch, the room fell silent. "You are so damn arrogant, James. Why can't you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"Because you're not making sense!" He persisted, his voice rising with each word, but after a sharp look from Sirius he dropped it.

" It's not just us anymore, James," Tears were forming in her eyes. "We have another person to protect now. I can't throw caution to the winds and play by chance anymore. Everything's changed."

He was silent and Lily could tell he was trying his hardest to keep his emotions in check. She continued.

"It might not be just us anymore, but if he's after our baby then what's the difference?"


	10. Birthday Promises

After having a long chat with Sirius in the side room, James came out looking calm, similar to the peace after a particularly nasty storm. He walked up to Lily and kissed her.

"Sirius is going to be godfather," James told his wife bluntly, then walked away to his friends, who welcomed him into the conversation with laughing smiles. Lily looked over at them, wondering how in the world her husband's demeanor had changed so fast, then joined them, smiling.

After the cake had been served and the tea was being finished, James stood up and cleared his throat. Lily looked up at him from her place beside Peter, confused.

"I need all of you to make me a promise," He said, his voice serious. Lily could detect the slight shaking of his hands. When four pairs of eyes met his, he continued on.

"I need you to promise me that you'll help me and Lily save our baby," His eyes were shining, glossed. "We can't do this by ourselves, and I just want to know that you all will be there for it like you've been there for us all these years." He reached over to Lily and took her hand. Tears were in her eyes.

"James," Sirius started, standing up from his chair by the fireplace to walk over and stand in front of Lily and James. "Lily, you don't even have to ask. Right now the only thing on my mind is to get you two through this, and when the baby is born to keep it safe."

"Sirius is right," Remus agreed. "There's nothing else I could care about more than the three of you." He reached over and took Lily's hand, and she felt a small tear trickle down her smiling cheeks. "How can you think we'd betray you?" Peter smiled softly, nudging Lily affectionately. "We're your friends, and this baby is our friend too."

"Thanks," James croaked, trying to keep himself from losing control of his emotions.

They were quiet for a moment before James spoke up again.

"Well, if Sirius is godfather and Peter is keeper, then what'll you be, Moony?"

"I don't think the baby will find you a very cute werewolf," Sirius laughed, and Remus pushed him over, so Sirius had to catch himself with his fingertips before falling of the couch. They laughed.

"No, I'll be Sirius' minder," Remus said, a small smile forming on his scarred face. "I'll have to make sure he actually carries out what a godfather is _supposed_ to do, not just what he _thinks_ they're supposed to do."

"Like teaching someone how to fly by pushing him out the window on a broomstick," Peter said, his face squinting painfully as if recalling a very vivid and very painful memory.

"Or teaching someone how to fix their motorbike in midair while dangling off the side," James said reminiscently, and the group laughed again.

"So now everyone has a job," Lily said happily. She looked around at their shining faces, and she sombered. "Thanks, you lot. For everything."

Their smiles were as bright as the sun, each of them with a small trace of pity on their happy faces. They did not know how far they would have to go to protect this baby they hadn't even met, but they were willing to see.


	11. Names and Saves

"Lily, no daughter of mine is going to be named Blossom," James said bluntly. Lily was at the start of her third trimester when they decided that they needed to pick names for their baby- the problem was, they didn't know if it was going to be girl or boy. James was seated on the floor, rifling through a book of baby names Lily bought from a Muggle shop. She was seated on the couch, curled up under a blanket as James read off the list.

"What's the matter, James? You don't like flower names?" Lily asked pointedly, and he breathed out in frustration.

"At least pick something like Rose! A name that people actually use…"

"Fine," She said, teeth clenched. "Rose it is."

"And now we go onto boy's names," James turned the book upside down, to the reverse side where boy's names were listed. Lily sighed.

"I wonder if we should name a boy after Remus," She said reminiscently. "We never actually gave him a job-,"

"No son of mine is going to be named Remus," James said stubbornly. "Just because the name fits Lupin doesn't mean our son won't be made fun of for it."

"Then you pick one, if you know so much."

"I have the perfect name," He said, raising his arms in mock celebration. "James."

"James can be a middle name," She said, tearing the book away from his hands. He sulked.

She flipped through the book, picking pages at random.

"What about Sirius or Peter, then?" James persisted, pulling on Lily's knee. "They have more normal names."

"Maybe," She said, not really listening. "What do you think of the name Harry?"

James stopped, and said the name a few times to himself.

"Harry Potter," He said softly, trying the name. "Harry James Potter." He looked up at Lily, and smiled softly. "I like it."

"I like it too."

"So we have Rose for a girl, and Harry for a boy?"

"Yep," She said, throwing the book bck to him. She sighed, rubbing her eyes and stretching. "Can you make me some tea?" She asked sweetly, looking at him loveingly.

"Sure," He smiled, in a good mood to finally get away from the many books strewn across the floor. He stood up, kissed her softly, then set off for the kitchen, whistling the Chudley Cannons fight song.

"Make sure you put in a lot of sugar!" She shouted, chuckling to herself as she heard James' roar of laughter at his wife's cravings. It was June, and even though Lily had been very calm during the beginning of her pregnancy, he feared how she would be during the summer months.

_Well,_ he thought to himself happily as he dumped the entire contents of the sugar bowl into his wife's mug_, At least she'll be done by August…_

His thoughts were interrupted by Lily's voice, alarmed.

"James! Come quickly!"

He dropped the mug and sprinted into the living room, wondering what could have made Lily shout like that. He bolted in through the door, and saw a white head with a very grave expression on his wrinkled face in their fireplace.

"This will only take a moment," Professor Dumbledore said quietly. "But you should know that we have had to move the Longbottom's to another location."

"Why?" James breathed, not looking at his wife's pale face as she clutched her stomach, as though protecting her unborn from hearing frightening words.

"They have started to notice very suspicious behavior in front of their flat," Dumbledore said quickly, his head glancing around at the same time. "We have reason to believe that it is the Death Eaters."

"But who's Frank and Alice's Secret Keeper?" Lily asked softly. "Surely-,"

"Frank's uncle Algie, but we do not suspect him yet."

They were silent, thinking about how fast this was becoming so real.

"We fear that it is too dangerous to move your position, but I must stress how important it is that if you notice any suspicious behavior, you _must_ tell me _immediately_. Understood?"

Lily and James nodded their heads dutifully, avoiding each other's eyes.

"Where did you move the Longbottom's?" James asked curiously.

Dumbledore eyed him with an odd expression.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you that, James. After this we trust _no one_."

"Sir, this is me and Lily you're talking to," James chortled, but went quiet with one look from Dumbledore.

"You will do well to heed my advice, Mr. Potter. Trust no one."

After the Longbottom's move, Lily and James had becoming icnreasingly aware of how real this was becoming. Before, they had not truly realized what the consequences of the prophecy meaning their child were, and how much danger they were all in. The Potters regarded each other with silence for the following days, only chatting over which type of tea was to be summoned and how to unclog the upstairs toilet for the third time that week. They walked on the tips of their toes, whispering, as if the slightest noise would bring a horde of Death Eaters and their master through the front gate and into their home. Every other minute one of them were seen to be glancing out the window, looking around the Muggle street for suspicious behavior Dumbledore had warned them about. But they saw none.

They had not had a visit by all three of their friends in at least a month, and both Lily and James gave up hope of seeing anyone until after the birth of the baby. They were in complete and total isolation for the rest of the sixth month, and as they went into the seventh they became just as downtrodden as ever, waiting for the days to grow closer to the end of the month, to see if they were the chosen two to have such a child.

They kepy busy by redoing a nursery in the upper level, directly across from Lily and James' bedroom. The walls were painted pale yellow, a green cushioned crib pushed against the wall. A mobile of snowy owls was placed over it, and a green rocking chair was in the corner under the window, a perfect view of the right side of the street.

"Why are you so keen on getting all this green in here?" James huffed as he lugged in a box filled with the parts of a changing table. He dropped it on the carpet, a loud _thud_ reverberating through the walls. "I thought girls liked pink."

"Just because I said I'm hoping the baby looks like me doesn't mean you have to mock my taste."

"What's wrong with the baby looking like me?" James asked, looking up from the floor, where he way lying, trying to contorl his breathing. "I know for a fact you married me for my looks only, because no woman in her right mind would marry me without some sort of physical incentive."

"Then I must be crazy," Lily breathed, and she knelt down to plant a kiss on his forehead. He smiled pleasantly, and pulled her down next to him, and they rolled on the floor, kissing madly. After three minutes with only a few moments of coming up for air, Lily stopped them.

"I can't do this right now," She breathed, hating her words, and James groaned. "James, seriously, look at my stomach. It will be a miracle if I can get up off this floor."

"You are right, you are incredibly big-," He said stupidly, and after she shot him a death glare, he recovered, saying, "Big-hearted, love. You are incredibly big-hearted."

"Nice save," She muttered, and he smiled to himself as he helped her off the floor. She was incredibly pleased- this had been the first time in a long while that they had had a normal conversation.

They stood up and looked around at the room.

"This baby is incerdibly lucky," James said thoughtfully, looking around. "This room is nicer than ours!"

"Don't worry," She smiled, taking his hand as they walked out the door. "I'm sure we'll be spending lots of time in here."


	12. Double Trouble

**I hope you all like the chapter! This was the first chapter I had written in the story, and everything else sprung from this one, so I really hope it meets your expectations! Enjoy!**

**I do not own Harry Potter and any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. I wish I did, but I don't. Ah, me.**

Lily and James apparated in front of the walk of their home, walking slowly to not let the Invisibility Cloak blow out from covering them with the warm breeze. They had just been at their July thirtieth meeting with Dumbledore, and both of them were extremely tired from the talking and planning and thinking. They had a mind to go directly to bed, as it was well past eleven and close to midnight.

"Well," James said as he threw the cloak on the sofa as they bolted the front door shut. "That was interesting. I stikk don't know what to make of-,"

He was cut off by a roar in the fireplace, which then produced a silver head in the bright flames. James dropped to his knees before the hearth.

"Sir? What's wrong?" James asked tentatively.

"Alice Longbottom is in labor." Dumbledore said bluntly, his eyes wide.

"Is she at St. Mungo's?" Lily asked quietly.

"Absolutely not! You all are supposed to be in hiding! No, I sent Poppy and another Healer to their flat in Oxford to assist."

"Will she be all right with Madam Pomfrey, though?" James asked, knowing that he had much deeper questions to ask. He excahnged a glance with Lily, thinking. Could this mean it wasn't them?

"She'll be fine. I only sugges tthta you two keep a very close watch tonight."

"Keep up posted," Lily said, and Dumbledore nodded and disapeared behind the golden rod flames.

It was well past midnight by the time Lily and James had left the living room and went upstairs. They had sat on the floor in front of the fireplace for almost an hour, staring at the flames and thinking about Alice Longbottom. Exhaustion had finally overcome their thoughts, and they climbed the stairs, keeping silent.

James went into the bathroom, and Lily heard the faucet running as she sat down on the bed, untying her cloak. Suddenly, as she reached down to take off her shoes, she doubled over.

Lily clutched her stomach, and whimpered in pain. She felt pressure on her stomach, her back was tensing, and it was becoming hard for her to breath.

"James?" she called out to the bathroom adjoining the bedroom, her voice cracking. She slid off the bed, unable to keep her balance, and fell to the floor, leaning against the bedstand. The lamp overhead flickered as her fast breathing rocked the cord connected to it.

"What's up?" He asked, walking in calmly brushing his teeth, wearing nothing but his boxers. He stopped in his tracks, his jaw dropping and his toothbrush falling to the floor as he saw the wet pool around Lily's bent legs.

"Oh Merlin," He said quietly, "What's going on?"

Lily didn't answer. The pains were beginning to come closer together, more rapid and painful.

"Why is this happening now? It's a month early!" He said, his voice rising and breaking simultaneously as he ran towards his wife.

"James-," Lily started.

"No," James said, slowly backing away, unable to control his shaking legs. "No, no, no, no!"

"It's us, it just has to be, " Lily whispered so quietly that she wasn't sure he could hear him. "Why else would this be happening now?"

She looked up at him, and caught his eye. They stayed like that for a moment, their eyes locked into each others, before Lily felt the same sharp pain in her abdomen again, and whimpered.

James hated seeing her like this- she had to be in enough pain already, pain he would have gladly taken away from her, without having to think about the prophecy and all that other rubbish.

He reached down, pulled Lily into his arms, and stood up. She rested her head against her chest, stuggling immensly to control her breathing and get a hold of herself. The pain was overwhelming her, and the only concious thought in her head was the need to find help.

**Well…I think we've all been waiting for that for a very long time! I'm going to try my hardest to get the next chapter in by tonight******** Tomorrow I'm going to Dutch Springs for scuba diving, and I most likely won't have time to update Friday at the least, and Saturday I'm off to a church retreat, but I'm really hoping to get at least a chapter in by the weekend! Enjoy!**

**And, again, I think each and every one of you who has reviewed! It means SO much to me! Cheers!**

**b.w.**


	13. Harry James

Still holding a shaking Lily in his arms, he ran over to the closet. He threw back a rack of clothes, and pulled out his box. He wrenched it open ,and after searching in it for a minute, found the mirror. He threw the box to the ground, and ran over to the bed, the mirror and Lily still in his arms.

"Sirius!" He bellowed into the glass, shaking it, _hard_. He shouted the name again, and one more time, before a very sleepy looking Sirius Black's head came into focus.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, looking into the mirror closely.

"Lily's in labor," James rushed, sweat dripping down his back. "Madam Pomfrey's with the Longbottom's, so we need to get to St. Mungo's."

"All right," Sirius nodded frantically, and he ran off, mirror in hand, to the fireplace. James became dizzy as the view of Siruis' mirror bcame jumbled from the change of scenery. "I'm coming over."

Within minutes Sirius Flooed into the Potter's living room, and shouted to make his prescence known. He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and he threw open the door of the bedroom, his eyes widening at the scene. Lily was pale, shaking uncontrollably and her face was contorted with pain. Tears were streaming down her face, and at the moment she was screaming as another contraction rippled through her body. The closet door was ripped off the hinges, and clothes and shoes were spilling out the door. A toothbrush was on the floor, still wet with paste, and the wood panels were streaked with bloody water. James looked absolutely terrified, cradling his wife tightly, the only thing he could do. He looked up when Sirius entered the room, but Lily seemed not to notice.

"Sirius," James breathed. "Get us to St. Mungo's."

"But didn't Dumbledore say-,"

"NOW!" Lily shouted at hi, clutching the front of James' robes with her hands.

"Yeah," Sirius breathed, looking around, trying to think of a plan. "All right."

James and Sirius helped to bring Lily down the stairs and into the living room. They planned to Floo to the hostpital, keeping hidden be damned. They stepped into the flames, shouting "St. Mungo's!" amidst Lily's screams, and threw down the dust-like powder.

They spun into view in the pristine marble hall of St. Mungo's, and the receptionist witch shrieked in surprise. Sirius ran to the desk as James placed Lily in one of the Muggle wheelchairs the Healers had enchanted to float.

"Baby's coming. Lily Potter," Sirius breathed, trying to catch his breath so he could continue.

"You don't look like a Lily," The witch said dully, obviously in a bad mood at being surprised so suddenly.

"Not me, her! She's in labor!" Sirius shouted, pointing at Lily. The with nodded, and brought her wand to her throat. She spoke, and her voice ran out among the halls like a loud-speaker.

"Healer to front desk to deliver. Healer to the front desk for delivery."

A Healer apparated, climbed onto a platform at the back of the chair Lily was sititng in, and sped off at top speed. James glanced at Sirius, and they took off down the halls, skidding around corners, until finally they reached their destination. They unloaded Lily into the room, and found that Dumbledore was already there.

He stood in the corner, and in a stance of anxiety that was very unlike him. He was twirling the many rings on his long fingers absentmindedly.

"I thought this would be the case," He said sadly as Lily sat down and was handed a cup of ice chips from a Healer. "I had guessed-,"

"And you never bothered to tell us any of this," James hissed, interrupting him. Dumbledore's mouth shut, and he stared at James, pity etched into the fine wrinkles around his brilliant blue eyes.

"I apoligize, James, if it would make you feel better, but for now we have other things to discuss," He walked towards Lily, who was being loaded onto the bed in the middle of the room. "I should tell you that Alice Longbottom has given birth to a boy, only minutes ago."

Lily looked up at him, unsure of whether or not to offer her congratulations or pity. The Seer's words echoed through her head like a cannon's fire. _Born as the seventh month dies_…

Lily only nodded to Dumbledore, who walked around the bed as the Healer took his place. She whimpered as another contraction came, and she felt James' hand tighten around her own. Sirius was standing in the corner, obviously uncomfortable.

"Sirius, you can leave if you want," Lily said, becoming sick of the expression on his face. He shook his head.

"I'm fine, Lily, honest," He exchanged a glance at James, and then added," but I'll go get you some ice chips or something."

He sped out the door, and sprinted down the hall.

The Healer came forward, and started talking rapidly. Lily didn't understand any of it.

"Sorry?" James asked stupidly when she finished, and the Healer blinked.

"She's almost to ten centimeters," The Healer said slowly, talking to James like he was a child. "She's going to have the baby any minute now."

"That soon?" Lily breathed, gripping James' hand as another contraction hit her.

"I do believe it'll be just after midnight."

They both glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 11:53.

Sirius came running back into the room, his hands around a cauldron of what Lily guessed must be ice chips. He put them on the table next to her, and she stuffed a handful of them into her mouth. As she did so, a machine next to her sounded loudly, and the Healer rushed forward. As she did, Dumbledore slipped out the door, his eyes not straying from Lily and James until he rounded the corner and out of sight.

"You're completely dialated, Lily," said the Healer in a rush. "On the next contraction I'm going to have you puch, alright?"

"All right," Lily whimpered, fear overwhelming her. James paled, and Lily could tell he was thinking of the same thing she was.

Suddenly, the full force of the labor pains hit her. The Healer started talking to her loudly, telling her to push, and Lily tried as hard as she could to fight through the fire encasing her body. She sat up as she pushed, James supporting her back as she gripped his hand. Sirius was still standing in the corner, his head in his hands and moaning.

"SHUT UP!" Lily roared at him, and he became silent, his face in complete terror at what was going on feet away from him.

"Come on, Lily, push!" The Healer cried out, glancing at the clock on the wall as it chimed loudly. Midnight.

Lily used all of the energy left that she could muster, and gave one final, hard push. A spurt of red slime, the flash of the Healer's hand as she wrapped a towel around the small body, and the piercing cry of a baby.

Lily fell back against the pillows, breathing heavy, but her eyes never drifted from the small figure the Healer was washing in the corner. Her vision was blurred by the tears streaming down her cheeks, and they trickled into her open, smiling mouth.

"James," She whispered, and her husband lent in and kissed her, their tears combing and running down both their cheeks, like the fork of a river coming together, uniting.

"What is it?" Lily caleld out to the Healer, and James' head shot up.

"A beautiful, healthy boy," The Healer walked over, and placed the small blue bundle in James' outstreched arms. "The most hair I've ever seen on a newborn." She chuckled, stepping back to give them space.

"A boy," Lily breathed, leaning in to James as he laid on the bed beside her, his eyes never wavering from the baby in his arms. Lily reached out her hand, and took the small one next to her.

"Hi, baby," she whispered. "I'm your mummy, and this is your daddy."

She reached over and kissed his forehead softly, and James did the same. He looked up, and nodded sirius over, who took small, tentative steps towards the bed. He peered over James' shoulder at the small, pink face.

"He's awfully small," Sirius said quietly.

"He's a month early," The Healer walked forward, flicking her wand towards the clipboard and pen on the table. The pen floated in the air, and started scribbling madly on the paper. "But for a preemie, he looks just like the babies born on time. He's a scrawny little fella, but he's very healthy. As though he was born right on time."

Lily and James avoided one another's eye, and as they glanced at the baby's face all thought of the prophecy washed away.

"Have you thought of any names?" asked the Healer curiously.

"Harry," Lily answered. "Harry James."

Albus Dumbledore stood softly in the doorway, unnoticed by the happy family. He gazed down at the small bundle in between Lily and James, and a single tear trickled down his wrinkled cheek.

"And now we wait."


	14. Not Just Yet

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while…I've been having some back problems, and being busy and all, but hopefully I'll be able to get some more chapters out soon!**

**Ok…so, this chapter is pretty much all fluff, but it's really CUTE fluff!! Squee!!**

**And thanks so much for the reviews you guys!! They mean a lot to me ******** Enjoy! **

"LILY, COME QUICK!" James shouted from the living room in a hurried voice. Lily, who was in the kitchen preparing tea, dropped the saucer she was holding and sprinted into the living room.

"What?" She asked, worried. "What's wrong?"

"He laughed!" James chortled, his voice loud and happy. He motioned to the baby sitting on his lap, where they were both curled on the floor in front of the fire. "Harry laughed at me!"

"No he didn't!" Lily exclaimed, immensely surprised. "He's only three months!"

"Well, he did, look!" James reached under Harry's arms and tickled him. For being so small, Lily was surprised when Harry chuckled hysterically, his laugh identical to James.

"Oh, James!" Lily burst out, tears in her eyes. "That's his first laugh! WHERE'S MY CALENDAR?"

She flung herself off the floor, and grabbed the thick booklet off the side table. She turned to the month labeled "October". Each previous square was completely filled with small, cramped writing in different color ink, some stained with tears. In the margins there was even more scribbles of writing, as though the author was jotting down notes furiously as though she were being timed.

"Are you going to keep that up forever?" James asked, trying to keep himself from laughing at his wife.

"Yes," she muttered, not paying the least bit attention as she was too busy checking her watch for the exact time of the laugh.

"All right, then," James chortled, standing up and bouncing Harry on his hip. He turned to look at the baby, and spoke to him. "Your mummy's mental. Let's give her some alone time, all right?"

"No, leave him here," Lily whined, throwing hair out of her face as she threw her head up from the calendar. "I feel like I haven't seen him all day."

"You were gone for five minutes to make tea," James chuckled and, seeing his father laugh, Harry snorted happily.

"And in those five minutes he laughed for the first time," Lily reasoned, holding out her arms to take Harry. " I think I've learned my lesson now," she told Harry in a soft voice as he nestled on her chest. "Mummy'll never let you out of her sight again."

"Let's see how he takes that when he's fifteen and you're following him around Hogwarts, making sure he's wearing his scarf and all."

James dodged out of the way of Lily's calendar, which she had thrown in the direction of his head. He laughed his way into the kitchen, and poked his head through the threshold of the living room a second later, his face flushed.

"Er, do you mind if the guys come over?" He asked, his voice cracking as he looked over his shoulder towards the kitchen.

"No," Lily said, puzzled at her husband's anxiety. She twisted her body so she could put her feet on the couch as she nursed Harry. "I'll just put on another pot of tea."

"No need to, Lily," Sirius Black's voice echoed through the walls as he stepped out from behind James, Remus and Peter behind him. "Just did a minute ago."

Lily shrieked and threw a blanket over herself from the neck down, and Harry squirmed at the sudden darkness. She glared at James.

"Would you mind telling me ahead of time that they're coming, so I don't have to flash my body to them?"

"I forgot, Lil," James shrugged, half a doughnut in his mouth. "Sorry."

"Well, thanks a lot for forgetting us," Lupin said, walking into the room and leaning against the wall.

"Makes us feel so prized," Sirius snickered, sitting on the chair opposite Lily. "And don't fuss, Lily. We've all seen you before. Perks of having a two-way mirror…"

Peter sniggered as Lily threw a baby bottle at Sirius, this time having better aim than she did with James, and met her mark.

"Well, since you're here you might as well stay for dinner," she said, hoisting herself up off the couch, but James pulled her back onto it.

"You stay here and feed Harry," He said softly, standing up and brushing white doughnut powder off his trousers. "Let me get dinner."

"Only if I want the house burned to the ground," she grumbled, her knees buckling as she tried to stand up again. James looked at her pleadingly.

"Please Lily? They'll help me," he gestured to the three friends who, as though on cue, all grinned sheepishly. Lily sighed.

"That's what I was worried about," She glanced over at Remus, who shrugged persuadably, and she let herself fall back onto the pillow. "Fine. Cook. But don't use the stove or knives or anything."

"Thanks, love," James sighed, kissed her, and flung himself off the couch. The other three practically ran into the kitchen, giggling suspiciously.

Lily finished feeding Harry, and he was now half asleep, his eyelids darting open to keep himself awake. _Just like his father_, Lily though, laughing to herself as she stood up from the couch and wrapped Harry in a blanket. _Never wants to miss out on anything_.

She walked into the kitchen and saw the four men sitting at the table, a loaf of white bread on each plate. They were breaking off pieces of their own loaf and throwing it in the air for another to catch.

"So this is what you're all having for dinner?" Lily asked, astounded. "Bread?"

"Well, you wouldn't let us make anything, Lily, so we had to," Sirius said, smirking. "Thanks to you, we're all going to starve to death."

"You could have just made yourselves salads," She said reasonably, walking to the cupboard and pulling out five glasses. She went to the fridge, and walked back to the table with a carton of milk in hand.

"But lettuce is a vegetable," Peter said, his words slow as though he was thinking hard.

"Exactly," said Lily, flicking her wand at the milk carton, which then sprang up and started pouring equal amounts of milk into each glass. She bounced Harry on her hip, rocking side to side to try to get him to sleep. She turned to James.

"He just isn't sleeping, " She said, massaging his warm back with her knuckles.

" It's as though he knows he'll miss the party."

"Here," Sirius said, holding out his arms. "Let me take him."

Lily passed Harry to him, and she sank down onto James lap, exhausted. James leaned in and rested his chin on her shoulder, and he rubbed her arm.

"Tired?" He asked, and Lily nodded.

"Why don't you rest?" Remus asked, taking a sip of milk from the glass. "You've got to be exhausted."

"I am," She said honestly, looking over at Harry." I love him, but he sure has a lot of endurance at night."

"He'll be a good Quidditch player then, James," Sirius looked up sharply, grinning madly.

"The best," James nodded, his smile identical to Sirius'.

"I don't want him playing Quidditch until he's at least seven," Lily said, her voice rising in pitch. "Someone could get hurt playing with you all."

"Three," James challenged.

"Six."

"Four?" He pleaded, his eyes wide.

"Fine," she said, her mouth in a tight line.

"But he can ride a broom before that, right?" Sirius asked, looking positively worried.

"Only if the room has cushions at every step."

"Grass is fine."

"You see," Lily looked at James, throwing her arms up in the air. "This is why none of your friends have children. They would be living at St. Mungo's."

"It's a good thing I'm seeing one of the secretaries then, eh?" Sirius barked, and the men roared in laughter. Lily, however, still looked unnerved.

"Are any of you planning on children?"

"We need a woman to do that, Lily," Remus said softly, smiling. "And, seeing as none of us-,"

"Haven't you heard a word I've just said?" Sirius rounded on him, scowling.

"Seeing as none of us has a woman who we actually fancy," He finished, looking pointedly at Sirius, who opened his mouth, ready to retort, but Remus finished. "I don't think any of us will be having children for a very long time."

"But do you want some?" Lily pressed, curious. Remus nodded.

"Sure," said Sirius, his mouth full of bread. "But I would be sent to Azkaban if I let a kid of mine live in Grimmauld Place. Someone could die in there, it's so depressing."

"What about you, Peter?"

"Maybe," He shrugged. "Haven't really thought about it."

"Are you going to have any more?" Remus asked Lily and James.

"If all kids were as perfect a Harry I would have a dozen," James said, reaching out and ruffling his son's hair. Harry's eyes were half open, the green that was showing was glossy and unfocused. He was murmuring softly.

"Probably not for another year or so," Lily reasoned, looking at her son. "Harry still needs our time."

**Hope you all liked that! If you have time, press the lovely lavender button under me! **


	15. A Deluxe Box of Chocolates

link above is a clip of a little laughing baby, which is EXACTLY how I picture Harry. Even though in this chapter Harry's only around five months, and the baby in the clip is nine months, his laugh is identical. And when I go onto the next few chapters, this is how I picture Harry- a big smile and a whole lot of hair (and I guess he can bump into a lot of things, too ****

**I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to update, but as I said in the reviews, things are really hectic lately, and once volleyball's over I'll be home more and have more free time ******

**I know this chapter is incredibly short, but I just wanted to give you guys **_**something**_** before I get onto the real action! I've been looking forward to writing the upcoming chapters ever since I started writing this, so I can't wait!**

**Thanks so much for your patience, guys! Cheers!**

"Surprise!" James popped his head into the kitchen, the rest of his body coming into view simultaneously with Lily, eventually showing Harry, who was bouncing and gurgling happily on her hip. It was Christmas Eve, and Dumbledore had given James, Lily, and Harry permission to spend the day at Grimmauld Place.

The house was silent. James glanced at Lily, and took another step inside.

"I wonder where everyone is-"

Suddenly there was a loud shout from the floor above them, and dust fell from the delapidated ceiling as the footsteps above ran to the stairs. Sirius' feet came into view first, followed by his waist, torso, and finally, his head of mangy black hair, which was falling into his eyes as he bolted towards the family.

"Thanks so much for asking Dumbledore on our behalf," Lily breathed, passing Harry to Sirius as they hugged. "This is the first in a very long time being able to go out as a family, not just James or I running to a meeting or something."

Harry was looking around the hallyway, his head going back and forth like an owl's, and his eyes stopped o nthe umbrella stand chaped as a troll's foot. He laughed hysterically, his giggles infectious as soon the three others were laughing, more at the baby than at the troll's foot.

"As you can see, Harry is very exited," James smiled, ruffling his son's hair.

"Don't mention it," Sirius laughed, as he gently took Harry's hand away from his hair and kissed it. Harry snuggled into Sirius' chest, smiling happily as he rested, his eyes not moving from his godfather's face. "I'm glad you could come."

"God knows there won't have another chance for a while," James said, his voice drifting sadly. " Dumbledore never said when we could come out of restriction."

"James," Lily said softly, nudging him. "Not now."

James took a breath, obviously ready to fire back with a retort, but he caught himself and was distracted as the door swung open and Remus Lupin stepped in, his long brown hair covered in white snow and his coat drenched.

"Hi, all," He smiled sheepishly, and Lily's face broke into a smile when she saw him. Her eyes raked his frame, from his snow covered hair to the drenched clothes, and she shrieked.

"Ooooh!" She ran to the window to look outside. "It's snowing!"

She ran over to Sirius, took Harry and ran back to the window, pressing both of their faces up against the glass.

"Look, Harry, snow!" She made a motion to open up the window, but all three men swooped down on her.

"Lily, it's _freezing_," Remus pleaded, and Sirius stared at her."Wasn't it snowing when you got here?"

"We dissaparated," She breathed, letting James pull her up from her knees and her face away from the glass. "And I haven't had a proper chance to look outside to notice anything."

She looked around at them, biting her lip as though holding back words, but she could no longer contain herself.

"Let's go out and play in it!" She shrieked, hopping slightly in the air.

The men were silent, then spoke simultaneously.

"No!"

She pressed her lips together, her hands on her hips, and stared at them.

"Maybe later," James compromised, and Lily smiled and turned into the next room, as James shook his head slightly to his friends behind her back.

After Peter had arrived, and they say down at the table, Harry now sitting on Remus' lap, sucking on a bagel with his few teeth. Turkey and roast chicken was served, with mashed potatoes, salad, corn, and many of the other holiday dinners that they had enjoyed at Hogwarts. For the past months, Lily and James had been living on frozen foods and preserves, limiting their trips to the grocer as much as possible. The abundance of meats and sweets was overwhelming to all- without a woman to cook for them, Remus, sirius, and Peter had been living on the same things as the Potters, only with less flavor. The party was a welcomed event for them all.

"Presents!" Sirius suddenly bellowed, and he pushed back his chair so fast it toppled over. Running over to the other side of the table, he picked a squealing Harry out of the high chair next to Remus, and scurried out of the room. Harry giggled uncontrollably, and his hysterics were heard as they ran down the hall. Laughing, the group followed into the den, where over a dozen boxes sat, wrapped in bright oranges, reds, greens, and blues. James sat on the floor, and Harry crawled over to him, snuggling up against his chest, as his eyes widened at the wide spectrum of colors in front of him.

"Who wans to go first?" Lily asked, sitting on her knees in front of the tree, ready to hand out the gifts.

"Harry should," Remus said, smiling. "He looks ready to wet himself for exitement."

Five heads turned to look at the little baby, who sobered at the sudden amount of attention. Laughing, Lily passed a bright green package to James, who placed it in front of Harry and unwrapped it for him. Harry seemed more interested in the paper, and paid no attention to the baby-sized Quidditch uniform given to him by Sirius, or the oversized stuffed owl from Remus or the deluxe box of firewhisky-filled chocolate from Peter.

"Did James ask you to get this for Harry?" Lily challenged Peter, holding up the box of chocolate.

"Er..," Peter shifted uncomfortably, not meeting James' eye. "No."

James snickered and gave Peter a thumbs up over his wife's head. Lily dropped it, stowing the box of chocolate in her purse, and ignored Sirius' protests of sampling a piece ("Only to make sure they're fit for Harry!").

Most of the other presents given were shirts (given by Lily), more sweeets from Peter, books (which made their way into the hands of only Remus and Lily), Quidditch paraphernelia, and many rounds of fire whiskey. As the night went on, Harry was put into his pajamas, and after refusing to sleep because of all the exitement, and was brought back down the stairs by his mother. When they came back, Lily found all four men standing in the front hall, Gryffindor scarves knotted at their throats, singing carols to the portrait of Mrs. Black, their arms around each other's shoulders and swaying back and forth. Mrs. Black's lips were moving vigorously, but no sound was coming out, so Lily guessed a Silencing Charm must have been placed upon her.

Eventually, the large intake of alcohol was replaced by the unearthly amounts of bread pudding, apple pie, and chocolate cake eaten by the group, and they were all settled in the den, their stomachs full and heads spinning. The room had sobered, and the only noise that could be heard was the distant carols of the Muggles outside, singing to the neighbors.

"Lousy Muggles," James grumbled, his head on his wife's lap as Harry lay across his chest, willing himself not to fall asleep. "Horrible singers."

"Probably all drunk too, no doubt," Peter chipped in, staring at the fire drowsily.

"Pissed out of their minds," Sirius quipped. "And look now, they're keeping the baby up."

The heads turned towards Harry, whose eyes were half open, half closed, his head nodding to sleep, then jerking awake whenever the carolers hit a high note.

"They're giving me a bloody headache," Remus growled.

"That's because you're all hung over," Lily said reasonably, and four pairs of eyes turned to face her blankly.

"Well, you see, Lily," Sirius reasoned, his eyes to the point of being cross-eyed and his body swaying as he tried to steady himself. "That is just not possible. We only stole Harry's chocolate from him, and I think I'm right in saying that your little boy wouldn't be filling his chocolates with whiskey."

"Couldn't it be the spiked butterbeers you all had?"

"But who on this wonderful earth could have spiked them?" Remus asked, looking at Lily for an answer.

"I did!" James said cheerfully, and his friends grinned.

"Brilliant," Peter mumbled, and he collapsed onto the floor, the grin plastered on his face.

"That makes me feel better," Sirius breathed. "At least now we know it wasn't a Death Eater or someone dangerous."

"Like those Muggles outside," James nodded his head to the window. "They must have some Dark Magic in them, they're almost hypnotising us."

The men nodded in agreement, and Lily laughed.

"I've never seen anyone so pissed in my life."

"Yes, you have," Sirius said in a sing-song voice, patting Lily on the knee. James' head shot up, but fell back down at the sudden amount of dizzieness. "We had loads of parties like this for Quidditch."

"But they were illegal back then," Lily reminded. "And as a former Head Girl, I'm trying my best to forget the bad things that happened under my watch."

"It's allright, Lily," Remus yawned. "Don't feel guilty that you failed your friends."

"Everyone does sometimes," Peter mumbled from the floor.

"I think you were perfect, love," James craned his neck and kissed his wife softly.

"As you always do," She smiled, and kissed him back. Harry squealed, obviously delighted at the drunkeness of his caregivers.


	16. Height of Dishonor

**Ok…I don't know why links don't work on this site, but if you guys want to look at the ADORABLE laughing baby that is Harry Potter (lol), go to youtube and type in "laughing baby" and it should be the third or second one down…it just has a little black-haired kid in pajama's lying on he floor (on the decription, it says his name is Ethan and he's 9 months old). I know I sound a bit obsessive, but he is EXACTLY how I picture Harry! And how James was with Harry ******

**In this chapter, I really took the quote below to heart (It's from the chapter "Fallen Warrior" in DH, p. 81):**

" _**You think I'm a fool?" demanded Harry.**_

"_**No, I think you're like James," said Lupin, "who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends."**_

**Enjoy! Things really start to heat up in this chapter ******

Seven months later

"Thank you so much, Sirius," Lily beamed at the toy broomstick Harry was riding, as James' tall legs chased him around the room.Lily and Sirius were sitting Indian-style on the floor, surrounded by a large roll of wrapping paper that had only minutes before encased a child-sized broomstick. "Harry's having a ball."

"Don't mention it," Sirius brushed it off, his eyes gleaming as he watched Harry zoon around the room, squealing. "After all, it's not every day a young man turns one!"

"MAMA!" Harry screeched, reaching out his arms like wings to see if he could hold his balance, his exited eyes darting from his mother's face to the rocking broomstick.

"I see you, love," Lily reassured, and clapped enthusiastically for the small boy. James, was still circling around Harry, his arms outstretched in case his son should fall and his face taut with anxiety. He was obviously not taking his son's first experience at flying alone very well.

Sirius reached out unexpectedly and grabbed Harry off the broom, and started to tickle him. Harry laughed insanely, his face going red as he became hysterical and he squirmed. James collapsed onto the floor next to Sirius and Lily, glad to have a rest. Lily noticed.

"I think that's enough flying for today," Lily said, smiling at Harry, who was no longer being tickled but hiccupping hilariously.

"But what if Moony wants to come over?" James asked, his energy suddenly bubbling up at the chance to show off his son's ease on a broomstick. "Or Wormtail?"

"I already talked to them, they can't come," Lily murmed, reaching out to brush Harry's hair out of his face. He was leaning against Sirius' chest, his elbow on Sirius' arm as he rested his chin on his hand.

"Have you seen Moony lately?" Sirius asked, his eyes becoming slightly darker.

"Not in a while," James admitted, his mouth forming a taut line as he picked up stray amounts of wrapping paper. " But with all of the werewolf attacks going on I'm sure Dumbledore is keeping him busy."

"Yeah," Sirius said, his voice soft and having a tone of disbelief. "Yeah, maybe."

The group was silent before Sirius spoke again.

"I have to tell you something."

Lily and James exchanged a quick look before looking back at Sirius.

"What's on your mind?" Lily asked, curious.

"Something's up with Moony."

"But James just said-,"

"I don't think you should have told everyone that Peter's the Keeper."

"Padfoot," James said slowly, not understanding what his friend was saying. "We only told you three, what's the harm-,"

"Remus hasn't gone to the last few meetings, none of us know where he is, and when we do see him, he hardly talks," Sirius said, his pace picking up and his voice riding. Lily and James stared at him.

"What're you getting at, Sirius?" James asked, his voice low. Harry's eyes were darting back and forth from his parent's faces to Sirius, confused.

"I don't think he's on our side anymore."

The room was silent, save for Harry's hiccupping. James focused on their steady beat, trying to stop his mind from spinning. Remus…

"How can you think that?" James hissed, meeting Sirius' eyes with a steady gaze. Lily, looking completely overwhelmed, stood up.

"I'll bring Harry to bed-,"

"Leave him here, Lil," James took Harry from Sirius, and stood him up so Harry's face was directly in front of Sirius'. Harry smiled and stroked Sirius' nose, babbling.

"Do you really think," James said slowly, enunciating each word, "that Remus, _our_ friend, would really give up everything he has with us and try to kill my son? This baby?" James nudged Harry into Sirius' lap, and Harry snuggled against his godfather, snorting happily. Sirius was silent for a moment.

"People change, James."

"Not my friends!" James shouted, and Harry looked up, startled. "I"ve known you three since I was eleven years old, ten years ago! People don't change that quickly, _especially_ when they know how much we all have at stake here!" James was silent for a moment, obviously willing himself to keep himself in check. "I know how much Harry means to him, Sirius. We've all seen how much Harry loves him, loves all of our friends. You can't lie to a baby."

Sirius was pale, and he was gripping Harry tightly. He looked up at James, and Lily lost her sense for a second when she saw that Sirius had tears in his eyes.

"I gave you advice, James. Please take it."

"No," James said stubbornly. "I trust my friends."

"All of them? Can you really say that you trust all of us, James?"

"Yeah, Sirius," James said, staring at him with a blazing look in his eye, daring him to challenge. "I do."

Tensions eased later that night, although the conversation from earlier still hung in the air, a wall between the friends. However, after having healthy doses of cake, the wall had crumbled slightly.

"Has Dumbledore said anything to you about coming out of hiding?" Sirius asked, his mouth full of cake.

"No," James grumbled, gulping a glass of milk as Lily sat next to him, breaking pieces of cake for Harry to eat. His face was covered in frosting, and his bib was coated in the chocolate filling. "And I don't think he will for a long time. Especially now that Harry's one, there's been a lot of activity lately."

"What sort of activity?"

"Death Eaters apparating a few streets away, following us home from the grocer or a meeting, close calls like that," Lily said softly, gazing at Harry, who was grinning at her as he mashed and flattened bits of cake on his tray, then rolling the mess into balls to eat.

"And have the Longbottoms had these same 'close calls'?"

"Dunno," James said, shrugging. "Haven't heard from them in a while."

"But we did see them a few weeks ago," Lily reminded him. "Neville and Harry met for the first time."

3 weeks earlier

"Lily, James, welcome!" Alice Longbottom said happily as she opened the front door, subconsciously glancing around to make sure no one spotted the apparating Potters. "And this must be Harry!"

Alice was very short, her light brown hair pixie-like. She wore a pink floral dress, frumpy like an apron, and thick shoes. She walked with a light step, bouncing on her feet, her exitement for having visitors obvious. She showed them into a small, cozy house, with floral-patterned wallpaper and green shag rugs. The ceilings were a whitewashed white, and the blinds on the windows were all drawn tightly, although the room was still very bright, thanks to the dozens of tassel-covered lamps in at every corner.

"Thank you so much for inviting us, Alice," Lily leaned in, and kissed her cheek. "Where's Frank?"

"I'm right here!" A tall, pudgy man walked in from the next room, and put his hand on the small of his wife's back. She looked up at him, beaming. He held out his hand to James, and kissed Lily's cheek happily. "Alice and I are so glad you could come." He reached out and ruffled Harry's dark hair, and he squealed, clapping his hands as he glanced at all the happy adults. Suddenly, there came another squeal from the room next door, and Harry's ears perked up, as if he would never expect to see another person his age. He looked at James, his mouth open and curious, and he pointed wonderously at the next room. Alice laughed and showed them into it, sitting them on the sofas and passing out cups of tea.

There was a circular playpen in the middle of the room, in which sat a small boy who looked very similar to Harry. He, too, had very thick and dark hair, and he was gazing intently on a ring of keys that he was playing with. He seemed to always be happy, like his mother, but he had the same pudginess as his father. He smiled at the newcomers, and his mouth formed a perfect "o" when he spotted Harry. He pushed himself up onto his pudgy legs, and waddled over, leaning against the top of the pen as he stared at Harry. Harry stared back, and waved happily, pointing at the little boy exitedly.

"Harry, this is Neville," Lily explained and Harry nodded solemly as though he understood. Harry snorted happily as James lowered him into the playpen, and for a moment the two boys stared at each other, then started playing with the set of keys.

"Aren't they precious," Lily smiled as she settled herself next to James.

"They look like twins!" Frank said happily.

Alice Longbottom burst into tears.

"Alice!" Lily exclaimed, glancing at James, her expression puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"It's just," Alice sniffed, wiping her eyes on a handkerchief her husband gave her. "Seeing them t-together, it's all becoming so real, so f-fast…"

"Oh, Alice," Lily reached over and took her friend's hand, and wrapped her into a hug. "I know, I completely understand…"

"They are both j-just so young, and I can't bear to think about what prof-Professor Dumbledore told us what could happen-,"

"Don't listen to Dumbledore," Lily took her friend's shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"I know I should't," Alice sniffed, smiling slightly, leaning into her husband's chest. Frank put his hand on her knee reassuringly. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"Everything is going to be just fine. Alice, we've made it so far already, and everything's been all right! Look at them, look how happy we all are!"

Four heads turned towards the two boys, and at that moment Harry reached out and grabbed the set of keys form Neville. Neville burst into tears and, seeing his friend so distraught, Harry began to wail as well. To an outsider, they looked like the most unhappy children in London.


	17. The First Priority

"James," Lily whispered, her voice groggy from sleep. It was past midnight, and there was a loud knock on the door. She rolled over, and shook her husband, trying to get him to wake. He mumbled, swearing under his breath, and turned on the bedside lamp. "James, someone's at the door."

"What?" James sat up, rubbing his eyes as Lily handed hi his glasses. "Who in blazes would come for a visit at this time of night…"

"I don't know if we should answer it," She whispered stoutly, wrapping the blankets tightly around herself.

"I'm going down there-,"

"James!"

"I won't open the door, I just want to look out the window or something!" He grabbed his wand from the table and crept down the stairs. When she could no longer see him, she flung herself off the bed, wand in hand, and ran into Harry's room.

He was curled into a round ball in his crib, a nest of blankets around him, and his dark hair sticking to his sweaty forehead. Lily picked him up and held him tightly in her arms, and she walked back into her room with Harry and sat next to the window, her curiosities about the knock on the door scaring her.

"Lily!"

James' voice rang up the stairs and into the small room, and Lily jumped.

"James?"

"Lily! It's all right, come down here for a minute."

She crept down the stairs, wand aloft. Harry was collapsed against her chest, a dead weight in her arms. She took the last step, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the visitor.

Dumbledore looked incredibly old and worn out, the wrinkled on his face were dripping with exhaustion. He was standing serenly in front of the fireplace, his hands folded at his waist . Lily had not seen him in over a month, and he was surprised at the change in the merry professor she had known during her school-days.

"Prof-Professor Dumbledore!" She walked into the livingroom, and stood at James' side. "What're you doing here?"

"Can an old teacher not come and have a nice old chat with former students?" He said, smiling softly.

"At midnight?" James laughed. "Sir, is everything all right?"

Dumbledore's face darkened so suddenly that Lily was taken aback. Dumbledore looked at the two, his expression showing obvious pity. His eyes locked on Harry, who was snoring softly in Lily's arms, and Dumbledore looked away as quickly as he had first gazed.

"Things have gone terribly wrong."

Lily stiffened, and her grip on the baby in her arms tightened.

"What sort of things?" She whispered, her voice catching in her throat. Harry stirred.

Blue eyes met green, and they held for a moment before the old man spoke.

"There has been a leak," He said slowly, as though he was choosing his words carefully. "Somehow, Voldemort knows that you have been in contact with the Longbottoms. They know that you both had sons-,"

"Obviously," James murmed. "That would be hard news to keep, especially for over a year ago."

"This is the time when things should begin to happen," Dumbledore responded. "With both boys already a year of age, Voldemort knows that now is the time to be looking for distinct qualities in each boy, a quality that could ultimately be Voldemort's downfall. Their personalities are beginning to show, they are beginning to grow into people, future men who would be Voldemort's downfall."

"Harry's just a baby," Lily whispered, rubbing Harry's sweaty back to sooth him. "He's no where close to being a…a man." She said the words as though they were obscene.

"That means nothing to Voldemort. He is _terrified_ by this prophecy, and do not put it past him to come after an infant to save the time and worry of waiting a few years."

"James-," A sob broke out of Lily. James wrapped his arm around Lily's waist, stroking her lower back as she leaned into him. He glared at Dumbledore.

"Sir-,"

"You need to hear these things," Dumbledore said slowly, a small hint of regret in his voice. "You have had well over a year to take this in, this shouldn't come as a sudden surprise!"

"Just because it's been a long time doesn't make it any easier," Lily murmed, her voice muffled by her husband's chest.

Dumbledore took her words in, and he hesitated before speaking again. James noticed.

"There's more?"

Dumbledore nodded slightly.

"Tell us."

"I wish," Dumbledore said slowly, "That I didn't have to be telling you this. I never imagined that I would be having to tell this to my students, especially you two."

"What is it, Professor?" Lily asked, her voice monotone.

"Our spies have told us that Voldemort is specifically targetting you."

"What are you saying?" Lily stepped away from James, towards Dumbledore, as though she needed to hear him more clearly.

"You are his first priority."

Lily froze, her face becoming blank. Harry was now fast asleep, and her weight was shifted towards the hip he was balancing on.

James' mouth was open, as though in protest, and his eyes wide in shock. The expression on both their faces was one of pure fear. James took a step towards his wife, his eyes not breaking contact with Dumbledore for a second. He was shaking his head slightly, a silent protest against this unfairness.

"I know this is coming as a shock-,"

"Bloody hell," James murmed, running his hands through his hair.

"How could he have made this decision?" Lily asked, not stopping tears from rolling down her face. "Who could have told him about what Harry's like?"

"I've told you from the beginning that for the time being your trust should be limited."

"None of my friends would do this to us," James hisseed, his voice dangerous. "None of them would take Harry from us."

Dumbledore looked at him, and for a moment Lily thought she saw his eyes shine with tears. Dumbledore blinked.

"I think," Dumbledore said quietly, wrapping his cloack around him. "That you need to take the time to consider each of your friends carefully."

"I trust my friends," James said, and Lily noted the crack in his voice as he spoke. James was slowly becoming undone, his two worlds of friends and family crashing together fatally.

"Over your son?"

"They _know_ Harry, Dumbledore-,"

"And that could be your downfall."

James stared at him, and Lily saw a small, innocent tear trickle down James' cheek. Without another word, Dumbledore stepped into the fireplace and was gone in an instant.


	18. Choosing the Willing

Picking and Choosing

**Ok…this is going to be an annoyingly short chapter, and for that I'm **_**sooo**_** sorry. I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but I've been so busy lately that this is the first time I'm on the computer for the last week ******** Thank you all SO much for the wonderful reviews, and the story's coming to a close!**

The echo of Dumbledore's words hung in the air like poison. _There has been a leak_…_do not put it past him to come after an infant…you are his first priority…_

Lily was looking at James, observing him. James was still staring at the fireplace, his mouth open still out of protest, ready to defend his friends from dangerous accusations.

"James-,"

"I'll take Harry," James interrupted Lily. "You can go back to sleep."

Lily handed the sleeping Harry to James, and kissed his cheek before climbing back up the stairs. She stopped halfway to watch James kneel on the floor, snuggling the sleeping child closer to his chest and brushing hair of his son's pale forehead. James reached over to the side table, opened a drawer, and took out a pen and notepad. She saw him rip out three pages, and draw a dividing line doesn the center of each page. He stared at the pages, and Lily realized that he was crying. She walked back down the stairs, and sat on the floor next to James. She leaned against his shoulder, and rubbed his back as he let the tears fall from his eyes, down his cheeks, and onto his sons' head.

"It can't be them, Lily," He whispered, holding his son tighter than ever. "It just can't be."

"I-I'm not sure what to say, James. I have absolutely no idea."

"There has to be someone else who could've said something," James reasoned, looking at his wife, daring her to agree with him.

"Could have been," Lily reached out and twirled a lock of Harry's hair in her fingers.

He was silent, and Lily could tell he was thinking. After a moment he looked at her, his eyes glistening.

" It can't be Sirius," James reasoned.

"But we told him that we were visiting the Longbottoms," Lily said quietly, not looking at James. Lily could practically see his mind turning.

"And he probably knows Harry the most," He whispered, stroking Harry's cool cheek.

"But what could he gain from doing this?"

The silence was only punctuated by Harry snoring. Lily spoke again, trying to give the both of them more options to choose from.

"What about Remus? The things Sirius was telling us…"

"I haven't talked to Moony in well over a month," said James softly. "And even when I do see him he seems…off."

"Is he doing anything for the Order?"

"That's the thing, I'm not sure!" James raised his voice slightly, and Harry stirred.

"Shhh, James-,"

"Moony's a werewolf," James said, his tone lowered. " He could have been bribed into giving things away if he was promised power."

"Do you really think he would do that?" Lily asked, disbelieving.

"Lupin's weak," James said, staring at her. His eyes were wet. " He's a great friend, but-,"

"They're all great friends," Lily whispered. "But one of them might not be as great as the rest."

James was silent for a moment.

"Peter's like Lupin in that way," James said slowly. "He's dependant on people."

"But do you think he would ever have the strength to leave us?" Lily asked quietly. "Would he be willing to give up the comfort of childhood friends?"

"That's the question we need answered," James said, looking up, a lone tear trickling down his cheek as he spoke. "Which of them was willing to leave the Marauders?"

Harry snored.

**OK…so most of you might be hopelessly controlling an urge to scream at your computer screen (and me) but I warned you it was short! It was mainly just a filler to give me some time to get onto the good stuff…but the end is near! Incredibly, Incredibly near…**

**And just so yall know, I'm open to suggetions about plot! Thanks so much for reading, and please review (although I know I don't deserve reviews after making you all wait for practically over a month ******

**Now let's see if I an remember how to actually **_**upload **_**the chapter onto the site…**


	19. The Flaw In The Plan

"James, should we take Harry out tonight?" Lily called from her son's bedroom down the stairs, where James was cleaning the living room.

"Take him where?" James called, confused. "A club?"

"No, you prat! Trick-or-treating!" Lily laughed.

"What the hell?"

"Children dress up in costumes and go door to door on Halloween. People give them candy."

"And why would we want to waste the energy of walking instead of buying the candy ourselves?"

"Because it's not fun like that!" Lily called.

"Well, what would Harry wear anyways?" James called up to the bedroom, picking up the _Daily Prophet_ from the table.

"Er…come upstairs and see."

"Alright," James walked hesitantly up the stairs, not knowing if he should want to see his son's costume.

He walked into the bedroom, and jumped back. Harry was sitting on the floor, dressed as a round, bright orange pumpkin. A green hat was tied under his chin, and he looked positively distressed. He was obviously having trouble sitting up, and James thought he looked like he would fall over and start rolling on the carpet any second. His mouth agape, he stared at his wife.

"You've got to be joking."

"No, I'm not!" Lily laughed. "He looked adorable!"

"Harry, like me, looks good in anything," James snickered. "But most certainly _not_ that."

"The Muggles will think he looks cute," Lily reasoned. "Their own children will be wearing the same."

"That's why wizards hate Muggles, Lily. They beg for candy and dress up as pumpkins."

"I'm going to take him out," Lily said, picking Harry up off the floor and bouncing him on her hip. The green, curly stem on his hat flopped over his face. "But really early, and only to a few houses, so he can get a good night's sleep. He's been having a lot of trouble lately."

"Fine," James said stubbornly. He leaned over and kissed Lily soundly, and tickled Harry. "Should I come with you?"

"I think we'll be fine," She said softly. "Besides," She walked out the door, her voice raising as she walked down the hall. "I need you to hand out candy tonight!"

He groaned in response, a small smile playing on his face as he watched.

Lily left the house at five-thirty that night, Harry on her hip and toting an old Hogwarts pillowcase that James had taken in his seventh year. He closed the door and went to the living room windows, and opened one. James watched them go, his eyes not leaving his wife and son until they were out of sight. _Lily always looks her best when she's with Harry_, James thought. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the spot where he last saw his wife and son, and his thoughts drifted. He tried to imagine life without them, but it was impossible. For James, life without people the who loved him was not worth living. His thoughts started to spin, and he realized that he no longer remembered anything that happened before the prophecy with great detail. Thinking of the not-so-bright future for his family consumed him in every way possible. For the past few weeks, Dumbledore's message still rang in his head like a dozen church bells: _You are his first priority_…

James still could not get his head around why his son was chosen. He was a year out of Hogwarts when Dumbledore first told them about the prophecy, he hadn't even been of age for a year before he was told his perfect family was in danger. He craved the perfect life he had so meticulously set out for himself and Lily, the plans he made when he was barely out of school. Back then, he took pride in his standing in life; he was a Gryffindor and champion Quidditch player, a pure-blood, the Head Boy. He had been engaged to the brightest, most beautiful witch in Hogwarts, and he had the best friends anyone could hope for. The same friends whose loyalties he was now being forced to question.

"Damn!"

James shouted as his fingers slipped and the window crashed down, landing on his right hand, which was resting on the sill. As he caressed his throbbing fingers, James walked to the freezer and conjured a bag for ice. Brought back to reality, he relaxed. He remembered Harry's first birthday, when he rode a broom for the first time. He remembered laying in bed next to Lily during her pregnancy, feeling the baby kick and hearing his heartbeat. The first Christmas the three of them spent together, the first time his friends met Harry…

Deep into his heart, James knew that the number of "first times" outweighed the "what if's". He knew that no matter how much pride he took in his own life, he would willingly sacrifice it to be able to give Harry not only more first times, but second times as well. He knew Lily, with her immense capacity for love, would do the same.

_Don't think about that_, James told himself bitterly as a thin tear fell. _Don't think about Lily, or else you'll lose it. _

Although it was over two years since their wedding, he still thought of Lily as his new bride. Wed fresh out of school, they were told by their parents and teachers that they wouldn't last. A teenage love couldn't hold for a lifetime, and everyone knew how much Lily and James fought with each other. _But we made it_, James smiled. _We showed them up._ _And we have Harry to prove it_.

He pulled a chair from the kitchen and sat under the window, waiting for his family to come back. Within a half-hour, the sun was setting a bright orange glow and sending pink streaks across the sky. As he was about to go find Lily and Harry, they turned into the walkway. Harry was beaming, despite his pillowcase not looking much different than it had when they left. Lily's smile, if possible, was even wider than that of her son. Their faces were pale but their cheeks were fire red and possibly sore from smiling. They looked like they had never heard of prophecies or Secret-Keepers. All was well.

James opened the door and walked down the pathway to meet his wife and son. When they saw him, Harry giggled hysterically and threw out his arms to meet his father. James took Harry in his arms and kissed his cheek, wrapping his arms around his wife and pulling her into a tight embrace. Lily smiled softly, but when they pulled away she looked worried.

"James, you've been crying," She murmured, stroking his cheek. "It everything alright, love?"

He grinned back at her, and led his family over the pathway, leaves crunching under their feet as they stepped into their home.

"Everything's fantastic."

_The End. _

**SOB runs out of room **


	20. One Foot In Front Of The Other

**OK…so I know that there will be some inconsistencies in this chapter, but whatever. But I don't want to say a lot more except that I didn't feel like ending the story! So that was the end of the real story…but I'm planning on writing at least 2 epilogues, I hope ******

**A lot of you guys are wondering why I didn't write Halloween night…**

**I didn't because I really wanted you to get the sense (after the last chapter) that the Potters were O.K., that they knew "what would come would come" and "they would meet it when it did" (to quote Monsieur Hagrid). We already got an account about Halloween night in Deathly Hallows, and I really didn't want to spoil the good mood that was the end of Chapter 19!**

**But this next scene is directly after Halloween night ******

The wind howled. It was late at night, but the flames were still burning and the smoke was still rising. Neighbors stood at their fences talking to one another, their robes close to protect against the harsh October wind, as firemen and police surveyed the scene. Children's faces were pressed against the cold windows of their houses as they peered out curiously, wondering what caused the explosion.

"What the bloody hell happened?" One man ran out of his house and to the fence at the end of the walk, meeting up with two neighbors. "The house just blew up!"

"It's been abandoned for ages," A middle-aged woman with multicolored curlers in her head whispered. "It was probably some teenage kids, fooling around."

"Nasty hoodlums," another muttered.

The baby sniffed the cold air, and his face scrunched up again as he was enveloped in the chill. His eyes squinted into the darkness, his thoughts spinning. Flashes of green, three of them...screaming…the soft kiss he felt on his cheek and hushed words he heard in his ear before his mother screamed.

He felt miserably alone. It was dark, and all of the neighbors had gone back into their houses. He was scared, he wanted Mummy and Daddy to come and get him. He couldn't see very far, and he had never been alone on the street before.

VROOM VROOM!

The sound made Harry flinch. He shut his eyes, tight, so he wouldn't be afraid of the bright light and noise that he knew was approaching. Heavy footsteps coming his way, he cried out for his mother. A voice said his name, but it was not his mother's.

"Harry Potter, is tha' you? You poor li'tl chap…"

Two thick hands scooped him off the ground, and Harry started to sob. The stranger seemed nervous.

"No, don' cry anymo'! Uncle Hagrid's 'ere to take care o' yous'," The voice hushed, and calmed the baby. Harry stopped crying, hiccupping loudly. The stranger laughed.

"There you goes', li'l one. Poor kid, yous' all safe now."

He was flying. The wind nipped at his nose, the only part of his face not covered by his blanket, like knives. He was no longer crying, but the tears from earlier had frozen to his face. He did not know where he was, but he was close to the stars, which he liked. The stranger's beard was tickling him, and when he laughed the stranger smiled. He seemed friendly enough. Maybe he was a friend of his parent's…

A chilly breeze that seemed to emanate from the heart of the forest lifted the hair at Harry's brow. He knew that they would not tell him to go, that it would have to be his decision.

"You'll stay with me?"

"Until the very end," said James.

"They won't be able to see you?" asked Harry.

"We are part of you," said Sirius. "Invisible to anyone else."

Harry looked at his mother.

"Stay close to me," he said quietly.

Beside him, making scarcely a sound, walked James, Sirius, Lupin, and Lily, and their presence was his courage, and the reason he was able to keep putting one foot in front of the other.


End file.
